Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements and Rosters Pension Application of W5596 Margaret Adams NJ [PA] Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris. Virginia Towit At a Court held for the County of Harrison on the 15 day of June 1818 & 42 d year of the Commonwealth Present john Davisson Benjamin Robinson Elias Stillwell James Fleming & Daniel Morris gentlemen Justices Before the Court aforesaid personally appeared and being duely sworn according to law upon his oath doth make the following declaration in order to obtain the provission of the late act of Congress entitled an act to provide for certain personas engaged in the land and Naval service of the united states in the revolutionary war That he the said enlisted in the year 1778 under Captain Plunket [sic: David Plunkett] of the 4 th troop of the 4 th Regiment of Dragoons in Trenton New Jersey that he continued to serve in the army of the revolution until the termination of the revolutionary war when he was regularly discharged that he was at the seige of York & the Caption of Cornwallis [19 Oct 1781] and that he is in [reduced] circumstances and stands in need of the assistance of his country for support and that he has no other evidence now of his said services Virginia At a Court held for the County of Harrison on the 19 th day of January 1824 being a court of record established by an act of assembly of this Commonwealth Personally appeared in Open Court, aged sixty one years, resident is said County, who, being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath, declare that he served in the Revolutionary war as follows. He enlisted in 1778 under Captain Plunket of the 4 th Troop of the 4 th Regiment of Dragoons. His original declaration is dated the 15 th June 1818 The original certificate is distroyed on which he drew & received a pension & the number not recollected and I do solemnly swear that I was a resident Citizen of the United States on the 18 th day of March 1818 and that I have not since that time by gift sale or in any manner disposed of my property or any part thereof with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring myself within the provisions of an act of Congress entitled an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary War passed on the 18 th day of March 1818 and that I have not nor has any person in trust for me any property or securities contracts or debts due to me nor have I any income other than what is contained in the Schedule hereto annexed and by me subscribed. (Schedule) I own two Horses one 27 years of age the other 18 years of age next Spring, three cows & three calves 8 sheep six hogs two broken metal pots, one oven, one skillet & lead [lid], that are cracked. half dozen of plates very old half-dozen knives & four forks with their handles off & loose, one old shovel Plough, one old barshere plough, one old Harrow with 10 iron teeth, two tubs & two buckets 4 tin cups, 1 quart can, 1 pint can, 1 wooden can I am by occupation a farmer, but from great corpulence and Rheumatisms of the head & limbs & shortness of breath, I am unable to labor, I have besides myself my wife aged 52, three daughters, Tabitha 15 years of age Edie 13 years old June 12 years old and a grand child Isaac 9 years old, in family. all of whose joint labour is insufficient to contribute to a comfortable support. The following debts are owing to me, $35.00 by Joseph Miller who ran off three years ago out of the state, $200 worth of Whiskey on Benjamin Robinson who has taken the benefit of the insolvent act, $4.00 on Thomas Pritchard who is also insolvent.
Virginia. At a Court held for the County of Harrison on the 17 th day of April 1826 (being a Court of record established by an act of assembly of this state) Personally appeared in Open Court resident in said County aged sixty three years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his Oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the provision made by the acts of Congress of the 18 th March 1818 and the 1 st May 1820: That he the said enlisted for the term of three years on the day of in the year 1778 in the state of New Jersey in the Company commanded by Captain Plunkett in the Regiment Commanded by Colonel [Stephen] Moylan in the line of the state of Pennsylvania on the Continental establishment; that he continued to serve in the said Corps until about the expiration of his enlistment, when he again enlisted in the service in the year 1781 in the State of Pennsylvania for during the war under Capt n Herd [possibly John Heard] commanded by Col. [Theodorick] Bland, that he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension, except the present; that his name has been placed on the pension list; That the number of his pension certificate is forgotten, as it is mislaid, and that he never before exhibited a schedule of his property [sic], because he having been suspended, supposed until about two years since, that that was final, and owing to age, corpulence & infirmity, and living remotely from the Courthouse, and being harrassed by the Sheriffs, who have had executions, against the body and property of this applicant, he has been prevented, altho frequent attempts have been made by him. [Oath similar to the preceding. Schedule] One cow, one yearling, one sow, 3 pigs, two sheep, three kettles, two them broken, two broken pots, one skillet, one oven, one chair, six old plates, one Dish, one set knives and forks, two keelers, one churn I am by Occupation a farmer, but from being very fleshy and having a disease of the head and rheumatism of the limbs and difficulty of breathing, I am unable to labour. I have besides myself, my wife aged 54 years, three Daughters Tabitha 19, Edie 17, Irena 16, a grandchild Isaac 13 in family all of whose joint labor is insufficient to support us The following debts are owing to me, $5 by Jonathan Coburn, $35 by Jos. Miller who has ran off these five years, $4 by Thomas Pritchard who disputes the debt $2 on George Hoskins. (signed) That since the 18 th of March 1818 the following changes have been made in my property vizt. Description of property Names of persons sold to Time of Sale Amt of money or Description of property Received in return. One tract of land in Harrison County William Adams about 8 years ago but the deed was made about [blank] years ago He is to pay at my death to my daughters $500 between them, and was to support me & my family Eight Years, which is now elapsed, for the balance I had in 1818 perhaps 20 head of Cattle & 4 horses which have been sold or died off & have been used for the family in their support & maintenance Those that were sold, [illegible word] to J G Jackson amounting to 7 steers, One horse bought by Jervis In 1822. Jan y 1825. I dont recollect the am t recived of J G Jackson as one of my sons sold them, to redeem all my horses that were executed by the Sheriff for the debt of $104 that I owed to Jos. Morris. 18 dollars which went to pay off a part of an execution in favor of the Commonwealth that is still agst me. Isaac Haskell the Sheriff having removed to the extreme west of Kentucky and Judge J G Jackson being dead I am unable to procure any evidence of the sale of the 7 steers and the levy on the horses (signed)
Harrison County Ss. Personally appeared before me John Sommerville a Justice of the Peace in & for the County of Harrison Wm. Adams and made Oath, that about 8 or 10 years ago his father Jonathan Adams was sick and was supposed would not recover, and agreed with this affiant to give him the tract of land which I now live on, and in consideration of which I agreed to raise and support the family until they grew up & could support themselves and to pay to my sisters between them who are the daughters of the said Jona. Adams, at his death five hundred dollars, the first part of which bargain has been faithfully fulfilled on my part and the second part I shall fulfil when the contingency happens This affiant further saith that he considers that he has fulfilled and executed the first branch of the bargain viz that he has supported the family as long as he had agreed to. given under my hand this 17 April 1826. For the purpose of obtaining the benefits of the act, entitled An act for the relief of certain surviving Officers and Soldiers of the Army of the Revolution, approved on the 15th of May, 1828, I, of Brushy fork of Elk creek in the county of Harrison in the State of Virginia do hereby declare, that I enlisted in the Continental Line of the Army of the Revolution, for and during the war, and continued in its service until its termination; at which period, I was a Private in Captain Erasmus Gills Company, in the Fourth Regiment, of the Fourth Regiment & fourth throop Cavalry of the Pennsylvania Line commanded by Colo. Myland. And, I also declare, that I afterwards received certificates for the reward of eighty dollars; to which I was entitled, under a resolve of Congress, passed the 15th of May, 1778. And I further declare, that I was not, on the fifteenth day of May, 1828, on the Pension List of the United States. Witness my hand, this 4 th day of October, in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight hundred and Twenty eight TREASURY DEPARTMENT./ 8 Nov 1828 of Bushy fork, Elk Run in the County of Harrison in the State of Virginia has applied to the Secretary of the Treasury for the benefits of the act, entitled An Act for the relief of certain surviving officers and soldiers of the Revolution, approved the 15th of May, 1828. He states that he enlisted in the Continental line of the army of the Revolution, for and during the war, and continued until its termination, at which period he was a Private in captain Gibb s company, in the Cavalry regiment of the Pennsylvania line; and that he received a certificate for the reward of eighty dollars, provided by the resolve of the 15th of May, 1778; and further, that he was not on the 15th day of May, 1828, on the pension list of the United States, and that he has received as a pensioner since the 3d of March, 1826, nothing Cavalry 4th Regiment, 1780 & 1781. We and each of us whose names are hereunto subscribed, do acknowledge to have received from Major Thomas B. Bowen [Thomas Bartholomew Bowen], and Captain Erscurius Beatty [Erskurius Beatty] Agents for the late Pennsylvania Line, the several sums opposite to our names respectively, in s, dated July 1, 1784, bearing Interest at six percent from January the first 1782 Signed by John Pierce, Commissioner, and described as below, being for the Balance of a Settlement between the United States and us for Pay to January the first 1782
Dates of Issue Letter Names Sums Signed Sept 17th 1785 Dec 13th Oct 19th 75851 52 53 B C H Dennis McCarty John Akely [S39927] 159 120 132 60 45 Alex r Power John X Akely Cavalry 4 th Regiment: 1783 We and each of us whose names are hereunto subscribed, do acknowledge to have received from Major Thomas B. Bowen, and Captain Excurius Beaty, Agents for the late Pennsylvania Line, the several sums opposite to our names respectively, in s, dated July 1, 1784, bearing Interest at Six percent, from November the fourth 1783 Signed by John Pierce, Commissioner, and described as below, being for the Balance of a Settlement, between the United States and us for Pay to Nov r the 3 rd 1783 Date of Issues Letter Names Sum Signers Dec 13 th 1785 Aug 18 th 76,133 34 A B Charles Edwards 50 50 75 75 Auditor Generals office of Pennsyl a./ Harrisburg May 14th 1844 James Bennett Cavalry 4 th Regiment, Gratuity We and each of us whose names are hereunto Subscribed, do acknowledge to have received from major Thomas B. Bowen, and Captain Excurius Beatty, Agents for the late Pennsylvania Line, the several sums opposite to our names respectively in certificates, dated July 1, 1784, bearing Interest at six percent, from November the fourth 1783 Signed by John Pierce, Commissioner, and described as below, being for the Balance of a Settlement between the United States and us for Gratuity allowed the noncommissioned officers & privates who served to the end of the war. Date of Issues Jan y 6 th 1785 Dec 13 th 76,286 87 Letter Names Sum R D James Thomas 80 80 Signers Peter January No 117 for 51.2.1¾ specie We do certify that the State of Pennsylvania is indebted to a dragoon of the Pennsylvania Regiment of Cavalry in the sum of fifty one pounds two shillings one penny ¾ specie with lawful interest from the 10th day of April 1781 being the amount of the residue of the depreciation of his pay. Pursuant to two Acts of assembly, passed at Philadelphia 18th of December 1780 and the 10th of April 1781 Lancaster May 2nd 1781 Jno Nicholson/ Sam l Boyd Aud rs Auditor Generals office Pennsyl/ Harrisburg May 14th 1844 NOTES: The file contains a copy of a deed executed on 28 July 1821 by which sold to his son, William Adams, 207 acres on Brushy Fork of Elk Creek for $2000. Documents in the file certify that s house was sold by the Sheriff in January 1825 to a person who bid $18 in order to satisfy a debt of $14.96. On 14 July 1826 John Davisson stated that he had been a neighbor of for 24 years and that on his first acquaintance he was an active smart man for his age and very Industirous Supported his fammaly very Decently as a farmer and had a tolrable good farm in good order but for the
last fifteen years said Adams has been wholly unable to Labour and had got so far Redused that he is not able to Support his famaly he has Conveyed his small home place to his son to support the famaly for the time before Mentioned the son has got Married and thinks the obligation of support Complyed with on his part which is the fact therefore the old man and wife and five Daughters is left all most with out hope accept he should have the aid of his Country. On 2 Oct 1843 Margaret Adams, 72, of Barbour County VA, applied for a pension stating that she married in Trenton NJ in the fall of 1791, that they moved to their present residence (then in Harrison County) in 1796, and that he died on 21 April 1835. She stated that the first of her 11 children was then named Mary Reed. The file includes a family record transcribed below, which was certified on 31 July 1845 by their third child Sarah Adams, 49, who stated that it had been kept by her father. On 24 Feb 1856 Margaret Adams applied for bounty land for her husband s service in she thinks Pennsylvania. On 9 Nov 1844 Joseph Johnson stated that had received bounty land from Pennsylvania for his Revolutionary War service. Mary Adams was born in the year of our lord in January th 12 1792 Washington Adams was Born in the year of our lord in march The 12 1795 Sary Adams was born in april The 30 1796 David Adams was born in march the 12 1798 anne adams was born in august the 23-1801 Marget adams was born in May 22 1803 Willam Adams was born in September the 1-1805 Tebbytha adams was born in august the 15-1807 Edy adams was in febury the 15-1809 Ireny adams was born in Janary th 22-1811 Isack tyson was born in the year of our lord in Janary 12-1814 hyram tribble was born in the year of our lord in July 4 th 1823